Category Archives: Food Microbiology Testing

FDA

Audience

• Restaurants and food retailers that have received shipments of frozen half shell oysters harvested on 2/6/2022 from Designated Area No. II, and exported by Dai One Food Co., Ltd., Republic of Korea (ROK).
• Consumers, especially those who are or could become pregnant, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems, who have recently consumed raw oysters in Alabama (AL), California (CA), Florida (FL), Georgia (GA), Maryland (MD), New York (NY), New Jersey (NJ), Nevada (NV), North Carolina (NC), Pennsylvania (PA), South Carolina (SC), Tennessee (TN), or Virginia (VA) and suspect they have food poisoning should seek medical care immediately.

Product

• Frozen half shell oysters harvested on 2/6/2022 from Designated Area No. II, Dai One Food Co., ROK. The oysters were shipped from the ROK and distributed in the following states: Alabama (AL), California (CA), Florida (FL), Georgia (GA), Maryland (MD), New York (NY), New Jersey (NJ), Nevada (NV), North Carolina (NC), Pennsylvania (PA), South Carolina (SC), Tennessee (TN), and Virginia (VA).
• The Korean firm has recalled frozen half shell oysters, frozen oyster IQF, and frozen oyster block harvested from the same harvest area on 2/6/2022.

Purpose

The FDA is advising consumers not to eat, and restaurants and food retailers not to sell, and to dispose of Dai One Food Co. frozen half shell oysters with a harvest date of 2/6/2022 from Designated Area No. II and sold in the states named above.

Summary of Problem and Scope

The Southern Nevada Health District notified the FDA of two clusters of illnesses from individuals that consumed raw oysters at a restaurant in Las Vegas on 10/28/2022 and 11/5/2022. To date, the Southern Nevada Health District reports one confirmed and nine potential sapovirus illnesses.

FDA Actions

The FDA is issuing this alert advising consumers to not eat and restaurants and food retailers to not sell oysters harvested on 2/6/2022 from Designated Area No. II from Dai One Food Co in ROK, due to possible sapovirus contamination. The FDA notified State contacts and the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference (ISSC) of the import and harvest details.

The FDA is awaiting information on further interstate distribution of the oysters and will continue to monitor the investigation and provide assistance to state authorities as needed.

Symptoms of Sapovirus

Sapoviruses cause a sporadic gastroenteritis, similar to norovirus, in populations ranging from children to the elderly. The infections are more frequent in children under age 5 than in adults. The most common symptoms of sapovirus are diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and stomach pain. Other symptoms include fever, headache, and body ache.

Most people infected with sapovirus begin to develop symptoms 12 to 48 hours after infection. Symptoms usually last one to four days.